And of course, let's not bring up Vince Young's wonderfully high score......that might make LIAB bitch because VY is black. So, of course, that would be the ONLY reason we'd bring up that low score. Right, racist?

The guy you have a man crush on, Michael Oher, got a 19 and that raised all kinds of 'red flags'. That's all I'm sayin'

_________________"If you worry about what the fans say, you’re going to be sitting with them."
-Jim Schwartz

March 13th, 2010, 10:29 am

m2karateman

RIP Killer

Joined: October 20th, 2004, 4:16 pmPosts: 10066Location: Where ever I'm at now

lightning_in_a_bottle wrote:

m2karateman wrote:

And of course, let's not bring up Vince Young's wonderfully high score......that might make LIAB bitch because VY is black. So, of course, that would be the ONLY reason we'd bring up that low score. Right, racist?

The guy you have a man crush on, Michael Oher, got a 19 and that raised all kinds of 'red flags'. That's all I'm sayin'

No, the red flags on him were raised well before the Combines. It had to do with his learning disability, his ability to process information that is affected. And despite experts stating that his disability didn't seem to affect his football knowledge, it was enough to turn teams off of him.

When it comes down to it, there is entirely too much put into what comes out of the Combines in regards to measured scores, whether it be the bench press, 40 times, etc. The Wonderlic is no different. Ryan Fitzpatrick, who went to Harvard, scored near perfect on the Wonderlic. It hasn't translated into his being a star NFL quarterback.

March 13th, 2010, 10:48 am

steensn

RIP Killer

Joined: June 26th, 2006, 1:03 pmPosts: 13429

Quote:

The scaffolding around Tim Tebow comes down Wednesday. The drop cloths get packed, the paint flecks and loose plaster swept up.

It's time for NFL eyes to inspect the renovations.

Few workouts have created as much anticipation as the University of Florida's pro day. Tebow, viewed by some as a collegiate supernova and others as an overrated novelty, will debut a refurbished throwing motion he hopes will sway the skeptics.

Tim Tebow's Pro Day• What they're saying about Tebow• Wojciechowski: Tebow set for test• NFL Nation: Where will Tebow land?• Draft Lab: Evaluating Tim Tebow • Hill: Proper QB prep?• NFL Draft: More coverageThere's a heightened curiosity over how Tebow will perform. After weeks of special tutoring and no public displays aside from Internet video snippets, you wonder if the charismatic left-hander will emerge from the tunnel and hurl bombs right-handed.

One of Tebow's personal coaches predicts the NFL scouts will be impressed.

"I think it's going to change some opinions," said Arizona State offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, one of four gurus who has been trying to transform Tebow from a spread-offense concoction into a pro-style prospect.

Scouts won't see a completed project Wednesday or whenever teams hold their private workouts with Tebow. The Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks already have signed up for special screenings.

But Mazzone is confident Tebow will show he's worth drafting as a quarterback and isn't meant to be converted into an H-back.

"He looks totally different to me," said Mazzone, a longtime college coordinator and quarterbacks coach who served as New York Jets receivers coach from 2006 through 2008. "This guy's an NFL quarterback in my eyes."

The Bills have the only unsettled quarterback position in the AFC East, but the New England Patriots are an interesting possibility.

The Patriots have only two quarterbacks on their roster. Backup Brian Hoyer is an undrafted sophomore. Bill Belichick, a close friend of Gators coach Urban Meyer, might be willing to pick up a rare competitor such as Tebow and groom him.

"I want this guy on my football team because he's got so many traits," Mazzone said. "I'm not getting paid to do this or to say this, so I can say how I feel. They always talk about the 'it factor' that the great quarterbacks have got. Well, he definitely has the 'it factor,' a great presence about him."

Nobody will argue that Tebow possesses off-the-charts intangibles. Those traits, however, are mitigated by several on-field weaknesses that make it difficult to imagine his collegiate star power translating to the NFL.

[+] EnlargeShelby Daniel/Icon SMITim Tebow hasn't thrown publicly since a rough outing in the Senior Bowl.In an ESPN Insider column that projects where Tebow should be drafted, analyst KC Joyner listed the shortcomings: Tebow has a really elongated throwing motion that hasn't improved even with extensive coaching.He tends to lock onto receivers.He usually doesn't look off the safety.He doesn't read blitzes or other pass-rushing tricks very well.The step forward he takes on play-action fakes is something he almost certainly will not be able to do in the NFL.He is very uncomfortable working in a pocket environment.

To overcome these issues, Tebow has been working with a team of instructors that includes Mazzone, former Jets offensive coordinator Zeke Bratkowski, former Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Sam Wyche and Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman.

Mazzone hooked up with Tebow as a favor. They share the same agent, Jimmy Sexton, who also represents such major clients as Miami Dolphins football operations boss Bill Parcells, Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano and San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, whom Mazzone coached at North Carolina State.

Sexton reached out to Mazzone for a favor after Tebow blundered his way through Senior Bowl week in January.

"That was not a very good showing for Tim," Mazzone said.

All of the doubts surrounding Tebow's pro potential were on display at the Senior Bowl.

He spent his college career taking shotgun snaps for the Gators and was dazzling in the process. He became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. He played on two national championship teams. He broke myriad records.

But he didn't sparkle at the Senior Bowl. With Sparano and his staff running the South team practices, Tebow struggled with direct snaps from the center. He fumbled a few, looked clumsy on his drops and obviously pressed. Passes routinely failed to find their targets.

In the game, Tebow completed eight of 12 passes for 50 yards. We haven't seen him throw since. He chose not to throw at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis last month.

That decision has intensified the anticipation for Wednesday.

Mazzone claimed scouts will notice some key differences compared to what they saw at the Senior Bowl.

Mazzone said Tebow has a faster release, his throws have more velocity because of an improved power step and he obviously is more comfortable with his drops because of instruction and repetition. All of that, Mazzone noted, has increased Tebow's confidence and decisiveness in drills.

"I'm not trying to change the guy's motion," Mazzone said. "I went back and looked at his high school film. He's got a great motion.

"It's different when you're in the gun your whole life and not making five- and seven-step drops. Bad feet make bad throws. We worked a lot on loading up his back foot, having good posture and getting his feet and body more involved with his throw.

"Now, their next question is going to be, 'Can he do this with a full NFL front four rushing him?'"

Tebow questions won't stop for a long time. They'll persist through the draft, into training camp, through preseason and well into his career.

Mazzone doesn't envision a problem with that, acknowledging that Wednesday will be merely the first of many steps toward making over Tebow.

"He's got great confidence and he wants to be That Guy," Mazzone said. "I don't know any guy that's truly competitive, and you tell him he can't do something and he doesn't have a chip on his shoulder."

11:40 a.m. -- There hasn't been a misfire yet. Scouts ask for more work, and boom! Another perfect bomb to Hernandez.

11:36 a.m. -- Tebow to Hernandez on deep seam route ... Great route by Aaron ... Mike Holmgren had a great seat for that throw.

11:35 a.m. -- Tebow hits Cooper on a 45 yard post ... Cooper never breaks stride. Then, right away, he hits Nelson on the same route but opposite side of the field ... in stride.

11:33 a.m. -- Crowd appears to be 3,000 now, and they are cheering every throw. Tebow is really hitting the long out routes. I have to think this is an impressive performance following up a great combine showing.

11:29 a.m. -- He has been on the money on every throw so far. He's hitting the receivers in stride. Tebow is clearly holding the ball higher. He hasn't changed his delivery so much but he's not looping down to his waist on his throws. Tom Coughlin is front and center to watch.

11:28 a.m. -- Tim has obviously done a lot of work on his backpedal, and he looks like a total different player dropping back. Very quick with his feet. Very impressive.

11:25 a.m. -- And so it begins. Tebow is already doing very well in his throws. I heard one scout say "Wow" when Tebow improvised a run after a fake pass rush and threw on a dime 30+ yards down the field.

11:22 a.m. -- Reflects Scout.com Recruiting analyst Bill Green: "My first introduction to Tim Tebow came when a player I covered in recruiting, current Kentucky quarterback Mike Hartline, was going through the recruiting process. Hartline attended a camp on the East Coast, and when he returned he told me 'I just saw the greatest athlete I've ever seen, and he happens to be a quarterback. All the other quarterbacks at the camp were in awe of Tebow. I've never seen anything like this guy at quarterback.' Turns out Mike Hartline was right on the money in his evaluation."

11:15 a.m. -- It's almost Tebow Time. Hearing sirens in the background, and the clouds are starting to part.

11:10 a.m. -- Scout.com NFL analyst Adam Caplan on Tebow: "Everyone wants to know where Tebow ends up. I could see the Eagles having some interest in him, especially if they end up trading Michael Vick. If they do, Tebow could slide into Vick's role in the offense.

"The New England Patriots have never been shy about using players at different positions, and so I could see them having some interest in running Tebow at TE or H-Back.

"There's always been discussion about the Jacksonville Jaguars having some interest due to their proximity to Gainesville and the built-in Tebow fan base."

11:03 a.m. -- Major Wright is the biggest ham on the team. He has a beaming smile, and loves to sing, dance and rap. Back at the Army Game four years ago, it was easy to entice him to interview fellow 5-star recruits, Aaron Hernandez and Deonte Thompson, and as you can imagine, it was a great interview session.

11:00 a.m. -- Tebow is warming up with receiver Riley Cooper, who decided not to run today. Tebow will have a compliment of receivers to work with today in Cooper, David Nelson and Brandon James.

10:58 a.m. -- Elvis has entered the building. Tebow stepped out to explosive applause from the sizable crowd which continues to grow in size.

10:57 a.m. -- Moving into DB drills now with Joe Haden, Major Wright, Markihe Anderson and Wondy Pierre-Louis. LB, OL, and DL drills are now over.

10:55 a.m. -- CB Wondy Pierre-Louis is out here today and not many know that Gator assistant Chuck Heater had to spend a great deal of time in Haiti to make sure the paperwork on Wondy went through so he could stay in the States after high school. Wondy's family made it safely through the earthquake that devastated his hometown.

10:52 a.m. -- Responds Chris Steuber: "Tebow's mechanics are crucial to me. I want to see him take snaps under center, be quick in his 5-7 step drops and display balance. If his footwork is sound, his deliver and accuracy will be fine. But if he's off-balance, he will force the issue and revert back to his elongated release and lack accuracy."

10:50 a.m. -- Speaking of Tebow, it's hard to believe that the first guy to win the Heisman as a sophomore and led the nation in passing efficiency is also the guy that has to change everything about his motion. Tebow is a winner.

10:47 a.m. -- Still no Tebow, who is always first on the field and last off of it. I think these gloomy clouds will part if he would just come outside.

10:44 a.m. -- I can remember driving to Shelby, NC to visit Spikes and his mom after he signed with Florida. Mom lived in a nice, but little apartment, and was just beaming that her son had signed with the Gators. Spikes will most assuredly buy mom a house, and work to fund freeing his brother who he feels is falsely imprisoned for a crime. Spikes has always been a great leader at Florida and fantastic with the media when he had the chance. A real straight shooter.

10:35 a.m. -- No one seems to have a great sense of exactly how fast Brandon Spikes ran today. I've heard anywhere from 4.85 to 5.01. With his playing ability, anywhere in the 4.9s should guarantee him a place in the first round.

10:33 a.m. -- David Nelson may have secured a draft spot today with his 4.4 40. Nelson was quiet most of his career because he wasn't thrown the ball. The former Army All-American stands 6-5 and is over 200 lbs, and will be a big target for QBs.

10:31 a.m. -- The knock on Dunlap so far has been immaturity, but you have to remember he's only 20. There's a reason for the immaturity.

10:25 a.m. -- Says Chris Steuber, Scout.com's NFL Draft analyst: "I've confirmed that every NFL team will be present at Florida's Pro Day today. I've talked with over a dozen scouts and they're all interested to see his new release and if he can sustain it throughout the workout. Five scouts have basically said, 'If he reverts back to his old elongated motion, he will drop significantly on our draft board.' "

10:20 a.m. -- Former Gator assistant and current Ravens DC Greg Mattison is here. He knows these guys well.

10:13 a.m. -- Tebow fact: Tim has changed the face of Florida football for sure, even as it applies to media and fans. Rules regarding access were changed because of him. He would show up a half an hour before practice to take care of autographs and after practice he'd meet with hundreds of adoring fans. It's always been a madhouse around Tim and nobody could have handled it better.

10:08 a.m. -- Still no Tebow as they set up for position drills. Tebow has certainly drawn the biggest crowd ever for a pro day, and it continues to grow ...

10:02 a.m. -- David Nelson clocks a very impressive 4.5 4.

10:00 a.m. -- Jermaine Cunningham will not run today. Spikes runs a 5.0 flat on his second run.

9:58 a.m. -- Nearly all teams are represented in Gainesville today to see if Tebow can be Te-Pro. There are about 1,000 people now in the stands, and about that many on the field with players, coaches, scouts and media.

9:55 a.m. -- Brandon Spikes runs an unofficial 5.01.

9:54 a.m. -- Joe Haden runs a 4.43.

9:51 a.m. -- Little known fact: My dad was Tim Tebow's barber, so anyone who was sure he would end up at Alabama four years ago was fooling themselves. Everyone knows you tell your barber everything!

9:38 a.m. -- Just found out that TE Aaron Hernandez threw up 30 reps of 225 in the bench. Carlos Dunlap bested his combine rep number by one by getting to 22. Tim Tebow did not lift.

9:34 a.m. -- I see David Nelson and Markihe Anderson. Looks they are about to run the 40, and it certainly isn't the best of conditions. I have a feeling Tebow may not doing anything but throw today.

9:28 a.m. -- It's drizzly and about 55 degrees. There's about 500 people in the stands ... mostly to see Tebow. There will be 17 other participants working out today as well including Gator great Eric Wilbur from a few years ago.

9:25 a.m. -- The NFL scouts are coming out of the locker room, so it appears that the 2010 Florida Gator Pro Day is about to get started.

_________________2 Chronicles 10:14, "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

March 17th, 2010, 1:23 pm

steensn

RIP Killer

Joined: June 26th, 2006, 1:03 pmPosts: 13429

Reports I heard said TEbow has made great strides in his throwing motion, but still has some ways to go being consistent with it.

"Just fine-tuning mechanics here and there, from lead-foot placement to the more compact release and better follow-through, and little things like that. You can't really re-invent the wheel at this point. You can only change some little minor things."http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/02/26/dan- ... receivers/

_________________"If you worry about what the fans say, you’re going to be sitting with them."
-Jim Schwartz

March 18th, 2010, 10:38 am

steensn

RIP Killer

Joined: June 26th, 2006, 1:03 pmPosts: 13429

lightning_in_a_bottle wrote:

Dan LeFevour is smarter than all of the journalists covering Tebow:

Quote:

"Just fine-tuning mechanics here and there, from lead-foot placement to the more compact release and better follow-through, and little things like that. You can't really re-invent the wheel at this point. You can only change some little minor things."http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/02/26/dan- ... receivers/

But is that enough? He is much farther along than even his greatest doubters thought he could ever be, let alone only 5 weeks. I find it hard to believe no doubter can find some credit to give.

"Just fine-tuning mechanics here and there, from lead-foot placement to the more compact release and better follow-through, and little things like that. You can't really re-invent the wheel at this point. You can only change some little minor things."http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/02/26/dan- ... receivers/

But is that enough? He is much farther along than even his greatest doubters thought he could ever be, let alone only 5 weeks. I find it hard to believe no doubter can find some credit to give.

Everybody who's in the NFL and isn't getting paid to 'consult' Tebow has said that as soon as he gets in a pressure situation, he will revert to his old habits. You're trying to give him an 'A for effort', which means nothing in the NFL.

_________________"If you worry about what the fans say, you’re going to be sitting with them."
-Jim Schwartz

Chad Henne says Tebow "isn't an NFL quarterback"Posted by Mike Florio on March 18, 2010 12:33 AM ETAs Florida quarterback Tim Tebow continues to prepare for the NFL, one of the men who already holds a starting quarterback job at the highest level of the sport has a strong opinion on the subject.

"My judgment is that he's not an NFL quarterback," Henne told Curtis Stevenson and Anita Marks of WQAM in Miami regarding Tebow. "I'll leave it at that."

Wow.

Making Henne's opinion more compelling is the fact that his position coach, David Lee, is one of the men who are helping Tebow become that which Lee's primary pupil says Tebow isn't.

And suddenly we hope Tebow lands in the AFC East.

_________________

March 18th, 2010, 12:08 pm

steensn

RIP Killer

Joined: June 26th, 2006, 1:03 pmPosts: 13429

lightning_in_a_bottle wrote:

steensn wrote:

lightning_in_a_bottle wrote:

Dan LeFevour is smarter than all of the journalists covering Tebow:

Quote:

"Just fine-tuning mechanics here and there, from lead-foot placement to the more compact release and better follow-through, and little things like that. You can't really re-invent the wheel at this point. You can only change some little minor things."http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/02/26/dan- ... receivers/

But is that enough? He is much farther along than even his greatest doubters thought he could ever be, let alone only 5 weeks. I find it hard to believe no doubter can find some credit to give.

Everybody who's in the NFL and isn't getting paid to 'consult' Tebow has said that as soon as he gets in a pressure situation, he will revert to his old habits. You're trying to give him an 'A for effort', which means nothing in the NFL.

Tebow himself said he has a ways to go, so I wouldn't say he gets an A. All I'm saying is that people should at least admit he has came a long way yet even in his own words he has a ways to go.

I can give him a C grade where C is a solid backup in the NFL. People either want to give him an A or an F.

If Tebow's a success, I'll put one of your anti-abortion things in my sig for a month--or one of your things about 'real' problems (because as a liberal, issues my children have aren't 'real').

If Tebow's a bust, then you have to put some liberal thing in your sig for a month. Deal?

_________________"If you worry about what the fans say, you’re going to be sitting with them."
-Jim Schwartz

March 18th, 2010, 12:53 pm

steensn

RIP Killer

Joined: June 26th, 2006, 1:03 pmPosts: 13429

I'm not getting behind Tebow, just giving him credit for what he has done. I think he will be a good Qb if he goes to a Indy or NE and gets to sit for a couple years to get groomed to take over. I think Jacksonville will draft him and start him too early making him fail.

So I won't make a bet when I think he'll be drafted to the wrong team and used too early.

Chad Henne says Tebow "isn't an NFL quarterback"Posted by Mike Florio on March 18, 2010 12:33 AM ETAs Florida quarterback Tim Tebow continues to prepare for the NFL, one of the men who already holds a starting quarterback job at the highest level of the sport has a strong opinion on the subject.

"My judgment is that he's not an NFL quarterback," Henne told Curtis Stevenson and Anita Marks of WQAM in Miami regarding Tebow. "I'll leave it at that."

Wow.

Making Henne's opinion more compelling is the fact that his position coach, David Lee, is one of the men who are helping Tebow become that which Lee's primary pupil says Tebow isn't.

And suddenly we hope Tebow lands in the AFC East.

Quote:

Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne raised eyebrows when he scoffed at Tim Tebow being his peer.

Tebow

Henne"My judgment is that he's not an NFL quarterback," Henne said Wednesday on Miami sports-radio station WQAM. Henne sounded as though he regretted saying it as the words were tumbling out his mouth. "So I'll leave it at that."

Tebow has drawn conflicting NFL forecasts from football analysts. He leaves the University of Florida as one of the greatest players in college football history but many wonder whether his skills will translate.

Henne's remark was newsworthy because it came from an active player -- a starting quarterback, no less. The Gators' quarterbacks coach, Scot Loeffler, was Henne's position coach at the University of Michigan. Tebow's agent, Jimmy Sexton, also represents Dolphins football operations boss Bill Parcells and head coach Tony Sparano.

At a charity golf tournament Friday in South Florida, Henne gave a diplomatic clarification of his dismissive comment. Henne has been an NFL starter for one year and threw more interceptions than touchdown passes.

"I didn't really say he wasn't able to be one," Henne told a throng of reporters, according to Miami Herald columnist Armando Salguero's blog. "We're all in this process, learning how to be an NFL quarterback. Obviously, he's taken the right steps to improve his game. His throwing motion actually looks a lot better with his release and everything. I think his pro day went really well, and he was happy with it. I can't really say anything. My quarterback coach from college is coaching him in college. We're coming from the same people.

"He's obviously learned from a lot of good people. And with [Florida coach] Urban Meyer up there, he's learned from the best. Those [comments] were way out of proportion [that] he's not going to be an NFL quarterback. Wherever he goes, he's going to make that team better because he's such a competitor and a great person."